The Panama Papers scandal, in which a leak revealed that many world leaders are storing their wealth in secret offshore accounts to avoid taxes, was big news this week, but what does it mean for the world economy? In Harper’s view, not much in the short term.

A report released Monday from the Haas Center at the University of West Florida contradicts an earlier report on payday loans in Florida. The Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy at Florida International University in Miami released a report in late summer that said the Pensacola region was responsible for close to 40 percent of the state’s payday loan transactions in 2012, far more than any other metropolitan area in Florida.

There’s a new partnership in town between the University of West Florida and the Studer Institute: with UWF economist Rick Harper becoming the Institute’s Director.

The genesis of both the partnership and Harper’s new job took place a number of months ago, and is partially related to his longtime friendship with former Pensacola News Journal publisher Randy Hammer, who’s now the Studer Institute’s President and CEO.

New numbers from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity show that the state's unemployment rate edged up slightly in May to 6.3%. That translates to about 606,000 jobless Floridians.

The bump in the rate, from April’s 6.2% mark, was not totally unexpected. Economists had projected it to grow slightly, as more people began seeking work as the economic recovery continues. DEO Executive Director Jesse Panuccio says concentrate on the big picture.